Curlew Cup 2024
September 22, 2024 | 24d | General
Autumnal conditions greeted the 72 riders for the early morning start, with the race rolling out under a blanket of tension. No rider wanted to risk opening the hostilities with three laps of the daunting 40km circuit awaiting them, each one featuring the infamous double-digit gradients of the Ryals climb.
The Ryals brought the first skirmishes of the race when Lauren Dickson (Alba Development Road Team) demonstrated the same climbing prowess that landed her second places at the previous two rounds of the Series in Lancaster and Ryedale. The Scot set a tough pace up the 2.7km ascent, taking maximum points at the Queen of the Mountains point and splitting the bunch before the race came back together on the descent.
The second lap followed the same pattern as the first. It was a cagey affair until Dickson hit the Ryals climb, the speed of her ascent causing the peloton to split in two under the pressure. The gap to the front group extended to 20 seconds and it was Dickson’s teammates who took charge of the chase in the second group, the Alba Development RT duo of Keira Bond and Abi Plowman out of position and on the back foot in Eilidh Shaw's defence of the series lead.
With the status quo returned shortly after the leading group had crossed the line, the race was set for a final lap showdown. A small group escaped up the final ascent of the Ryals and it was Dickson leading the charge with Eilidh Shaw, soon to be joined by Katy Hill (London Academy), Carys Lloyd (Tofauti Everyone Active) and Lancaster Grand Prix winner Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK).
With the peloton in pieces, a chasing group of 12 made contact with the front group as the race reached the 3km to go mark. Molly Patch (The Phoenix Collective) took her opportunity to attack having been towards the head of the peloton throughout the race.
Patch was reeled in by the chasers shortly after and the race was set for a thrilling sprint finish. Robyn Clay delivered a devastating turn of speed as the line approached, powering ahead of her rivals with enough time to sit up, raise her arms, and savour the victory. Second was Eilidh Shaw, sealing the National Road Series title to add to her National Circuit Series crown, with junior Esther Wong (Shibden-Apex) rounding out the podium.
After racing on the front foot all day, the Alba Development Road Team took home the team prize courtesy of placing three riders in the top ten, while DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK secured the overall Series honours in the team classification.
The Ryals brought the first skirmishes of the race when Lauren Dickson (Alba Development Road Team) demonstrated the same climbing prowess that landed her second places at the previous two rounds of the Series in Lancaster and Ryedale. The Scot set a tough pace up the 2.7km ascent, taking maximum points at the Queen of the Mountains point and splitting the bunch before the race came back together on the descent.
The second lap followed the same pattern as the first. It was a cagey affair until Dickson hit the Ryals climb, the speed of her ascent causing the peloton to split in two under the pressure. The gap to the front group extended to 20 seconds and it was Dickson’s teammates who took charge of the chase in the second group, the Alba Development RT duo of Keira Bond and Abi Plowman out of position and on the back foot in Eilidh Shaw's defence of the series lead.
With the status quo returned shortly after the leading group had crossed the line, the race was set for a final lap showdown. A small group escaped up the final ascent of the Ryals and it was Dickson leading the charge with Eilidh Shaw, soon to be joined by Katy Hill (London Academy), Carys Lloyd (Tofauti Everyone Active) and Lancaster Grand Prix winner Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK).
With the peloton in pieces, a chasing group of 12 made contact with the front group as the race reached the 3km to go mark. Molly Patch (The Phoenix Collective) took her opportunity to attack having been towards the head of the peloton throughout the race.
Patch was reeled in by the chasers shortly after and the race was set for a thrilling sprint finish. Robyn Clay delivered a devastating turn of speed as the line approached, powering ahead of her rivals with enough time to sit up, raise her arms, and savour the victory. Second was Eilidh Shaw, sealing the National Road Series title to add to her National Circuit Series crown, with junior Esther Wong (Shibden-Apex) rounding out the podium.
After racing on the front foot all day, the Alba Development Road Team took home the team prize courtesy of placing three riders in the top ten, while DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK secured the overall Series honours in the team classification.
